Madonna: The airbrush is her friend

In one she is willowy, feminine and seductive.

In the other she has bulging biceps that would put many a he-man to shame.
As these two pictures of Madonna show, she can either change her shape at will - or the airbrush has been busily at work.
As she stepped out of the gym next to her London home yesterday, she showed an even more muscular and veiny upper body than usual. Scroll down for more... Slimmed down: Madonna, who is 50 in August, as she appears in Vanity Fair

Pumped-up: The singer emerging from the gym after a workout yesterday

While in a photoshoot for Vanity Fair to celebrate her half-century, appearing in only a basque, briefs and knee boots, she looked remarkably skinny and smooth by comparison.
Chris Bickmore, a top airbrush artist, said: "Obviously none of the veins on her arms are there. All lines and wrinkles have been removed. The same applies to her face.
"There are no marks or smile lines, which has made her look years younger." Cover girl: Madonna on the cover of prestigious magazine Vanity Fair, out Friday

A Vanity Fair spokesman said retouching had been minimal - "just a little work on skin tones and blemishes".
Madonna, who is famous for her punishing exercise regime, works out for two hours, six days a week.
The pop star was joined by her pint-sized personal trainer and constant gym companion Tracy Anderson, whom she was referred to by best friend Gwyneth Paltrow.
Of the star, Tracy will say only: "It comes down to whether or not you are a hard worker and someone who puts in 100 per cent.
"I prefer to train with the dedicated and these women aren't afraid to work." With her impending 50th birthday, Madonna seems more determined than ever to be in great shape, but her increasingly muscular appearance suggests she may be trying too hard.

The cover of Vanity Fair's Green Issue shows Madonna with the whole world in her hands, and inside the issue she continues to show off her strength. The release of her upcoming album proves that she's an international force with no signs of slowing down, even if that includes some bad ideas (see after the jump). In the article she confidently talks about her life — past, present, and future. Here are highlights about Malawi, her album, and how she views the world:

On her decision to help in Malawi: “If you have children, you know you’re responsible for somebody. You realize you are being imitated; your belief systems and priorities have a direct influence on these children, who are like flowers in a garden. So you start to second-guess everything you value, and the suffering of other children becomes much more intolerable.”

On the music industry: “Well, there’s one thing you can’t download and that’s a live performance. And I know how to put on a show, and enjoy performing, and I’ll always have that.”

On making Hard Candy: “I didn’t have any idea what kind of music I wanted to make. I just knew I wanted to collaborate with Pharrell and Justin. I needed to be inspired and thought, well, who’s making records I like? So I went, ‘I like that guy and I like that guy.’ It’s not like we hit it off right away. Writing is very intimate. You have to be vulnerable and it’s hard to do that with strangers. I had ups and downs before everybody got comfortable, but I grew very fond of Pharrell and Justin.”

On her beliefs: “Ultimately everything’s good. Even bad is good, because bad is there to help you resist it. You need to have that resistance to be good, and, let’s face it, the worst things that happen are always the best things that happen. If you look back at your life and say, Well, what did you learn? What happened that changed your life, that made you strong, that made you grow, it’s always things you perceived as bad."

On her high school experience: “I wasn’t a hippie or a stoner, so I ended up being the weirdo. I was interested in classical ballet and music, and the kids were quite mean if you were different. I was one of those people that people were mean to. When that happened, instead of being a doormat, I decided to emphasize my differences. I didn’t shave my legs. I had hair growing under my arms. I refused to wear makeup, or fit the ideal of what a conventionally pretty girl would look like. So of course I was tortured even more, and that further validated my superiority, and helped me to survive and say, ‘I’m getting out of here, and everyone is a heathen in this school—you don’t even know who Mahler is!’"

What was that about how it - validated her superio-WHAT? *Raises voice:* I'm not surprised you were bullied at school, you irritating, arrogant cow! I hate bullies, but if I'd been at school with you, I think I'd have bullied you myself!

*lies back exhausted* (I think I have issues....)

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.(Lana Turner)

Glad I'm not the only one who jumped at seeing those words. Yes, Vadge, you are a superior being and if only we all listened to you we'd be able to be a like you: a self-absorbed middle-aged woman who thinks she has all the answers. Oh yeah, and we'd be wearing red yarn on our wrists to ward off the evil eye while guzzling 20 dollar bottles of 'blessed' water.

'Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.' Ben Franklin
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." --Sinclair Lewis

To be fair, your muscles do get pumped right after a work out, especially with weight training. But her skin in the first pic is almost literally porcelain-llike, and that is not how her skin is at all.

Ugh,she is just vile now.Being a strong,educated,and opinionated woman is what she "thinks"sheis.No,you just come off as a self entitled poser whose bag of tricks is now empty.

BRAVO Mrs V! Exactly what I was thinking. When I heard she was on the cover (the "green" cover) I emailed Vanity Fair that they lost a 20 year reader for putting this never was on its cover and giving her pages to spew. Paris and Hohan were bad enough but this was the final straw. They have jumped the shark!

Oh and Madge time to come out already then retire to a countryside somewhere where we never have to seen your tired old ass ever again. Did anyone see that episode of the The Soup where Madge stole Guy's entire interview about HIS movie. That is her in a boustier nutshell.

as privileged as a whore...victims in demand for public show, swept out through the cracks beneath the door, holier than thou,how?